Page 88 of Cross-Checked

“Meaning that I can back out of my contract with Trevor and hire you instead?” I ask dryly. I love that his first orderof business was to check that my contract wouldn’t prevent me from hiring him.

“Meaning that we can chat about your situation, and you can determine if you want new representation. Doesn’t have to be me. But I’m not the kind of person who’d go behind another agent’s back and talk to his client if the player’s contract didn’t allow for it.”

I unscrew the cap on the water bottle. “Fair.”

“So tell me why AJ thinks you need a new agent.”

I give him the details of Trevor’s negotiations with AJ before the trade deadline, and his eyes narrow. “That makes no sense.”

“I know. I couldn’t understand why she was digging her heels in like that?—”

“Yes,” he cuts me off. “That’s the part that doesn’t check out. AJ is extremely reasonable and she’s a smart businesswoman. She wants another Stanley Cup. Hell, she doesn’t just wantonemore, she wants one every year. And getting rid of you would make it more difficult for the team to achieve that goal.”

“Trevor said my proposed contract would put her over the salary cap. So I could either take a one-year extension at exactly what I’m making this year, or leave.”

“I’ve negotiated...” He pauses, and his eyebrows dip as he thinks. “...at least ten contracts with her in the time she’s been here. I can’t see her making that offer, not with your stat line and her goals for the club.”

I want to push back and tell him that my agent was the one who was there, so he’d know. But that’s when it occurs to me that maybethisis why AJ suggested I talk to Jameson—because he knows her better than any other agent does.

“Are you suggesting that what Trevor told me about their negotiation is...untrue?”

Jameson chews on the inside of his cheek as he leans back in his chair, crossing one ankle over the opposite knee as he rollsup the sleeve of his button-down shirt. “I don’t want to step on Trevor’s toes here. But I will tell you that in all the time I’ve known AJ, I’ve never seen her be unreasonable like that. And I’ve never seen her make a move that would hurt the team. Sure, as GM, she has to make hard decisions, but keeping you seems like an easy one.”

I exhale a relieved sigh and take another sip of my water.

“If you’re thinking you want new representation, we can talk about that. But, if you want it to be me, I’m going to need you to level with me about something.”

“What’s that?”

“Why did AJ know what Trevor was telling you?”

I look at him in confusion, and as I watch his eyes narrow on me, that’s when I realize...Shit.Obviously, the only way she’d know that is if we were discussing my contract, which is expressly prohibited.

“Can I assume that whatever I tell you will remain entirely confidential?”

“Anything you tell me as aclientwould be confidential, but since you’re not a client yet...whatever. I can keep my mouth shut.”

For a second, I wonder if I should insist on an NDA or something, but then I realize that it probably doesn’t matter. AJ is talking to Frank right now, and after that, it’s all going to come out one way or another. And if he’s going to be my agent, Jameson needs to be prepared so he can help me navigate the publicity aspect of the situation.

“So...AJ and I are seeing each other,” I force out, wondering if it’ll ever get easier to admit that I’m dating my boss.

His mouth drops open, and he says nothing. Jameson’s the kind of guy who chooses his words wisely, but I’ve never seen him speechless. Not even when he’s dealing with some of the shit that Colt, his best friend and most lucrative client, has done.

Skepticism fills his voice when he asks, “And she discussed your contract with you in that capacity?”

I can tell just by his tone that he doesn’t think she’d do that, and he’s trying to decide if he’s just lost all respect for her or if I’m lying.

“No, we didn’t discuss it. She’s steadfastly refused to discuss my contract with me?—”

“As she should.”

“—but I made an offhand comment yesterday about how her refusal to consider even a modest increase in my next contract was a huge slap in the face, like she was making it clear she didn’t want me back on the team next year.”

“And?”

“And the look on her face was...confusion? I don’t know, maybe it was anger? And then she told me I needed a new agent.”

“So she told you to call me, because she knew I’d be able to put the pieces together,” he says, like he’s working it out in his head. “Okay. And how are you guys handling this relationship? I assume no one else knows at this point?”

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